Panzanella

This rustic, Tuscan bread salad always hits the spot! I love Panzanella!

“And, as the year grows lush in juicy stalks, I’ll smoothly steer my little boat, for many quiet hours, with streams that deepen freshly into bowers.”  ~John Keats

Panzanella is a popular dish during the summer months. With a bounty of fresh vegetables spilling from farmers’ markets, from roadside fruit stands, or straight from our own backyard gardens – we’re guaranteed a steady stream of fresh ingredients, making this time of year the best time of year for a fresh-as-the-day-is-long salad!

Panzanella is mainly prepared with tomatoes and onions, cucumbers and fresh herbs – but the star ingredient? Crusty, stale bread! (Surprised you, didn’t I?)

This recipe is a great way to use up leftover bread as well as any herbs and veg you might have hanging around… This simple peasant dish uses a method to revive old bread that produces a most pleasing result.

Traditionally, the bread is softened with  a little bit of water, added to the salad, and left to sit for a bit to soak up the juices from the tomatoes and vinaigrette, but we like our bread on the toasty side (gimme all the texture & added flavor!) So. We toast it up in olive oil and a pinch of kosher salt before adding it to the salad. Once it hangs out in the salad juices, rendering the bread softened – it becomes the panzanella we know and love.

INGREDIENTS:

• crusty Italian or French bread, up to 3 days old
• olive oil
• kosher salt
• fresh garlic
• fresh basil
• ripe tomatoes
• cucumber
• red onion
• salt and pepper
• red wine vinegar

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. 1. Cut bread into bite sized pieces.
   2. Place bread in olive oil, add salt, and cook over medium heat in a frying pan until bread is toasted on all sides, about 5 minutes.
   3. Cut garlic clove in half. With the fleshy cut side of the clove, rub the inside of the salad bowl to create fragrance. Then mince the clove and add to the salad.
   4. Place bread in a large bowl.
   5. Wash and dry basil leaves and tear them into pieces.
   6. Add tomatoes and their juices, sliced cucumber, red onion, and basil to the bread. Toss well.
   7. In a small bowl, whisk olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper.
   8. Add vinaigrette to the salad and toss again.
   9. Adjust seasonings.
   10. Allow salad to develop its flavors at room temperature for at least 1/2 hour before serving.

Not only do these flavors marry perfectly after a short rest on the counter – but the salad complements most anything you’re serving. We love it alongside this, this and this.

So remember – the next time you have leftover bread in the pantry, that’s the right time to make this healthy, rustic, hearty, delicious dish!

Buon Appetito!

Panzanella

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• Author: Ciao Chow Bambina
• Category: Salad

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Description

This rustic, Tuscan bread salad always hits the spot! I love Panzanella!

 

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Ingredients

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• 8 slices crusty Italian or French bread, up to 3 days old
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 Tbsp. kosher salt
• 1 clove fresh garlic
• 1/2 bunch fresh basil, stems removed
• 1.5 lbs. ripe tomatoes, chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. each salt and pepper

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Instructions

1. Cut bread into bite sized pieces.
2. Place bread in olive oil, add salt, and cook over medium heat in a frying pan until bread is toasted on all sides, about 5 minutes.
3. Cut garlic clove in half. With the fleshy cut side of the clove, rub the inside of the serving bowl to create fragrance. Then mince the clove and add to the salad.
4. Place bread in a large bowl.
5. Wash and dry basil leaves and tear into pieces.
6. Add chopped tomatoes and their juices, sliced cucumber, red onion, and basil, to the toasted bread in the bowl. Toss well.
7. In a small bowl, whisk olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt & pepper.
8. Add vinaigrette to the salad and toss again.
9. Adjust seasonings.
10. Allow salad to develop its flavors at room temperature for at least 1/2 hour before serving.

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Original post: 12/02/2013

Updated post: 08/02/2023